Its Cancer - So?

People often ask me as to how do I keep a courageous and cheery face and go clubbing  and keep partying in my journey with cancer. This always takes me by surprise. I keep wondering as to what is there to be so depressed about. I mean, we all face delirious situations everyday – be it at work, relationships, road, home etc. So why blow healthcare out of proportion? The C word is definitely not the death sentence. Get up and kick ass. Period. Today medical science has progressed so much that doctors can actually pull you out of deathbed. Just trust them!

My biggest strength is my doctors. Right from the time I first met the gastroenterologist I have always trusted her and knew that she will help me in every way possible. When the C word was first broken to my husband at 9:45am the doctor gave him a lot of emotional support! At 9:45am when friends are on their way to work & with families away in Kolkata the C word suddenly makes you feel numb and traumatised. Fear, sorrow and anguish takes over you for sometime. It’s only the doctor and you. Thats when you need to talk to the doctor about your worries and listen to him/her. Fight the fear with knowledge. In our case the sweet doctor kept on saying to my husband ‘Don’t worry, we are there for you. Nothing will happen to Debjani!’ She held our hands tight, real tight, and never let it go. Never!

There are times I felt the pressure but doctors just wont leave me for my own good! I remember I wanted to run away from the ICU … I used to pester my doctors … but none of them listened … they just would not let me go! I threw tantrums, howled, stopped talking (which is very very unlike me!! I even jabbered inside the operation theatre. ) and showed my temper – nothing ever worked! They kept saying that in ICU the doctors and nurses would tend to me immediately unlike in the room! But those words did not make sense at that time. I just wanted to get out of the sunshine less ICU. I wanted to be with my family & friends and not with solemn patients around me. Since I was not mobile I could not even run away! :P

Then came the soft-spoken ever-smiling onco-surgeon. He is our biggest support. Every time I meet him he always says – nothing to worry! Everything is all right! This assurance always makes me high on life! Even when he came out of the OT to meet my husband, he had this big smile on his face saying I am going to be all right. There is nothing to worry. We always trust him and that makes the journey so peaceful and beautiful for us! May God always bless this awesome soul! Can’t thank him enough.

I also made it a point to celebrate each time I got good news. Immediately after the surgery movement was an issue. It stopped me from dancing and prancing around.  So each time I would get a good news I would show the thumps up signal to my docs and do a small jig with my hands and keep smiling & smiling & smiling. It just felt awesome to know that I was progressing very well. It felt like I was scoring a first class degree from the stingy Calcutta University. If you are from Kolkata you will know how tough it is to get marks from that dilapidated Darbanga building‼ Its an extraordinary experience to beat Cancer in every step – can’t explain in words!

Then there is my oncologist who told me, in my first consultation, that if Barrack Obama had the same condition like mine he would have go the similar adjuvant chemo treatment‼ I could almost envisaged Obama walking into his chamber with is newfound best friend Modi and smiling at us! I wanted to laugh out loud but then I muted myself. The oncologist gave a full download of how the chemotherapy will be done and assured me that its going to be a smooth process. Today, after under going 7 sessions of chemo, most of my conversations with the oncologist are around my diet, my art, music and our common fondness for the brand Apple.  The reports are so good that we seldom have to discuss them in details. I always believed that Cancer is not my headache ... its the doctor's! They are the experts ... so let them fix it. Why take senseless tension. I concentrated on Katty Perry's 'Firework'/Bollywood gossips/watched movies/ call up friends and gossip/cook exotic food for friends when they come over for a house party.

During my 2^nd chemo when I had gone to the hospital for a blood check up and the nurse at the technical room recognized me. We started laughing and shared our old jokes. When I was hopitalised she would come everyday to take my blood for various reports. I used to share jokes with her then and make her laugh. We started recollecting those days and laughing out loud, much to the annoyance of the other patient who too had come for some blood test! Laughter makes such a difference in life. 

Doctors and nurses are fun provided you are looking at the bright side. I always enjoy visiting my doctors because they boost my confidence and encourage me to lead a normal life! They never treat me like a cancer patient nor my family  or me have pity on me. Infact, we have pity on Cancer for loosing the battle. 

In case you are battling cancer or any other difficult situation ... just walk on the wild side and laugh out loud and party hard. After all life is fun. Lets enjoy it. Even, if you think, life is full of s&#%,  just enjoy like Brad Pitt and celebrate! 

Thats all for today. Time to watch some stand up comedy videos on youtube.